First edition of a popular emblem and song book written by the Dutch pharmacist and poet Jan van Veen. It includes 50 engraved emblems by the skilled artist Salomon Savry (or Saverij, 1594-1678), each with a two-line motto in Dutch above and in French below. Each is followed by three Dutch verses, the last often of devout character with marginal references to Bible verses. The emblems, beautifully etched and engraved, show common people engaged in a wide variety of professions and activities, many real and mythical animals, allegorical figures, etc. The last 250 pages present songs Van Veen wrote to be sung at weddings. The present first edition, besides showing the engravings at their freshest, is the only one with French motto, and the only one in quarto. Although the crest on the binding, of George Spencer-Churchill (1766-1840), is very similar to that on the bookplate of the Althorp Library on the paste-down, they represent different libraries. Spencer-Churchill had to sell much of his library in 1818, including this volume with his ducal crest, which was apparently purchased by his father's second cousin, John George, who owned the Althorp Library.
Emblem IX was first accidentally repeated in the place of emblem XIV, but a cancel slip with the correct emblem has been pasted over it (as usual). With a small hole slightly affecting emblem VI, occasional minor and mostly marginal spots, smudges and faint stains, but otherwise in very good condition and with generous margins. Slightly worn at the hinges and extremities, spine slightly faded, but binding otherwise very good. First edition of a Dutch emblem book with 51 excellent plates, charmingly bound for the new Duke of Marlborough in 1817/18. Hollstein XXIV, 181; Landwehr, Emblem and fable books 842; Praz, pp. 522-523; Scheurleer, Liedboeken, p. 156; STCN 853409463; Triphook, Catalogue of old books, London, June 1818, item 3307 (this copy in this binding); De Vries, Emblemata 167; for the binding stamp: https://armorial.library.utoronto.ca/stamps/ISPE006_s4 (and for Spencer-Churchill .../content/spencer-churchill-george); for the Althorp Library: https://www.escholar.manchester.ac.uk/api/datastream?publicationPid=uk-ac-man-scw:1m2217&datastreamId.